Enyobeni Tavern Inquest Resumes, South Africans Still Angry

• The circumstances which led to the deaths of teenagers who brought alcohol to the Enyobeni Tavern continue to be investigated
• The inquest was launched to probe the incident and to see if anyone could be held criminally responsible for the deaths of 21 patrons
• Some netizens were still furious that the owners of the now-closed tavern sold alcohol to underage children

Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News journalist in Johannesburg, South Africa, covered accidents, fires, outbreaks, nature and natural disaster-related incidents at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News for seven years.

MDANTSANE, EASTERN CAPE — The inquest to determine who could be charged criminally for the Enyobeni tragedy continues at the Mdantsane Magistrates Court in the Eastern Cape.

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Enyobeni tragedy inquest continues

According to SABC News, the inquest is held to determine if anyone could be criminally liable for the incident that claimed 21 patrons in the Enyobeni Tavern. The victims were all underage, and they died after they allegedly inhaled something.

The owners of the tavern, who were found guilty of selling alcohol to minors, will also be called to testify during the inquest. A representative of the victims' families said they are hoping they would get answers from those the state will call to testify during the inquest.

South Africans still angry at incident

Netizens on Facebook discussing the case believed that booze laws should be amended. Some felt pity for the victims' families.

Robinson Maakana said:

"The laws on alcohol selling should be amended soon. Those found guilty must permanently have their licenses taken away, followed by a fine of not less than R100,000."

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Sharon Struckmeyer said:

"Taverns are the biggest problems. They are mainly in township and rural areas and are never monitored or inspected."

Elias said:

"Imagine a parent saying unveiling a tombstone is a memory instead of forcing the government to implement tough laws on alcohol usage."

Thabo Daniel asked:

"How can you sell children underage alcohol when it is written that it is not for those under 18?"

SA debates sentence of Enyobeni Tavern owners

In a related article, Briefly News reported that the country got into a debate after the Enyobeni Tavern owners were sentenced.

They were given a fine of R10,000 or 100 days imprisonment for selling alcohol to minors. Some South Africans believed the sentence was light, and others thought the parents were at fault.

Source: Briefly News